Journals

To me, it seems as if when traveling East Asia, one is almost obliged to visit the various different religious sites. Throngs of foreigners pack into temples to pay homage to the local customs and beliefs. Luckily, for this sake of this blog, I am not an exception to this!

More often than not, the average tourist you’ll find in one of these areas is from another Asian country where similar (if not identical) temples also exist.

Juxtaposed against the predominant (Abrahamic) religions that exist in the U.S., these religions seem less strict-much more open and transparent.

According to friends, the main religions of Taiwan are Buddhism and Daoism (Taoism). Christianity holds a small percentage of the population (with disproportionately large and ornate churches).

The younger generation, much like in the U.S., do not seem so keen on practicing their religion. As far as I have been able to tell, religious practices are preserved, mostly by the older generation and government subsidy.

Like old European churches, some of the older temples are in various different states of decay. However, in major cities, like Taipei, temples are constantly under construction. One of the most famous temples in Taipei (pictured above) is located adjacent to one of the most famous night markets.